Mirage
by lizteroid
Summary: Maura and Ian again. Rated T for situation, just to be safe. When Ian first met Maura, out in The Sahel.


_Author's Note:_ I quite like Maura/Ian. Firstly, I love Jonathan Cake (JCake) who played Ian in the episode, and secondly, I thought he was nice. He made Maura happy, and that was lovely.

**Disclaimer: **as always, I own nothing. Rights (and props) to TNT, Janet Tamaro, Tess Gerritsen.

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><p>Looking across the sand, he cast his eyes upon the newest member of the aid team. She had joined them from America, where she had been a lecturer at San Francisco University. She taught classes in biochemistry and psychology. Doctor Ian Faulkner smiled as he watched the sandy haired newbie trailing behind the guide as he led her towards the tent she'd be staying in for the duration of her work with the Doctors Without Borders agency.<p>

He smiled as she looked over to him, she'd saw him watching her. And she blushed.

As she moved into the tent she would be occupying, Ian moved towards the Chief of their patch, and he smiled, "Who's the new girl?" he asked the Chief gently, gesturing to her tent.

The Chief started a little, but quickly regained his composure and flipped his clipboard down against his chest, glancing back over his shoulder to Ian who had been trying to spy on her details. He stood himself up straight. When at full height, the Chief even dwarfed Ian Faulkner. He turned to look at him and said, "Spyin' ain't gettin' ya nowhere, kid." before he promptly walked away and to the tap they'd installed in the minute village they'd set up camp.

As Ian set himself back to work, taking inventory, the newbie Doctor reappeared and settled herself at the table next to him, where she began piling bandages and dressings for any emergencies they may encounter in the next few months out there. He felt someone looking to him and glanced up, seeing her there. She was a looker...he couldn't deny her that.

"Hi. I'm Ian Faulkner" he held out his hand to her, she gratefully accepted, reaching her own out to shake, knocking over a stack of neatly folded dressings in the process, "Oh, here...let me help..." he smiled, rounding his own table before he moved to hers, bending down to collect the fallen dressings, glancing to her casually.

"Thank you..." she smiled to him softly, it was a subtle smile, just a hint of embarrassment, "I'm Maura." she told him, placing down the stack onto the table before she tried again, reaching out her hand to him, shaking his hand this time.

"It's nice to meet you, where have you joined from?" he smiled to her, letting her retract her hand now.

"I lived in San Francisco..." Maura replied and nodded, "I lectured at the University."

"Oh, that's pretty impressive!" he nodded, "What made you switch and come out here? It wasn't just for the tan, was it?" he smirked a little, indicating he was joking with her. He saw the glint in her eyes and he smiled softer, he knew that she understood his sense of humour. That was a brownie point already.

Maura looked down to the stack of dressings and she smiled to herself, "I needed a change...they were promoting the male staff on faculty ahead of the females. I didn't want to stick around to see if I got fired or skipped over." she answered honestly.

"That's too bad..." he looked over her, seeing she obviously had a flair for fashion. He smiled softly, "I bet that they'll be missing you right now." he nodded, "I know I would be..." Ian added as he walked around the table to his own.

Maura blushed at his comment, not knowing how to take it really. She wasn't that great around people, and often struggled with body language and inflections in tone of voice. She did watch Ian however, and she saw the smile he gave himself as he resumed his position at the table, seemingly waiting for her to respond to his comment about missing her if he had worked with her at SFU.

She looked over to Ian and tilted her head, moving toward him then and standing in front of his table, "Where are you from? You have the accent of a Western Australian native, yet, you use the syntax of one raised or surrounded by those of British decent, particularly, the South of England, Dorset, or one of those quaint towns."

"Born and raised in Australia, studied at Cambridge, moved to New York, then moved out here, to work DWB." Ian explained in not so much detail as Maura probably would have done. He looked up at her and chuckled a little, "I think it's safe to say I've been well travelled."

"Yes, you certainly have spread yourself around." she nodded.

Ian chuckled loudly and looked up to her properly, she was frowning a little before he asked, "And how about you? Have you spread yourself around?" as soon as he said it, he wished he could take it back. Maura looked a woman of refined quality and grace, and he'd just asked if she'd been spread...

Maura blushed gently, "I've travelled a lot, yes." she nodded in response, "I grew up in Boston, went to school in Paris where I studied Ballet and fencing, I have travelled most of Europe with my parents, Italy, the French Riviera, oh! And visited twenty seven of the fifty states of America."

Ian nodded and smiled, "Ballet, of course..." he looked over her, she was slim and did certainly have a dancer's legs, "Europe, wow! I'd love to have gone, but there's still plenty of time for gettin' around..."

Looking over him and nodding, Maura smiled to herself, as she moved back to her table, fixing the stacks before she then moved to the edge of the tent and looked back to Ian, "You know which one is my tent, come by later and I can show you how flexible I can be with my legs..." she smirked, before leaving.


End file.
